Outer garment and brassiere



Jamf 10, 1967 J. WRIGHT OUTER VGAM/WINT AND BRAssIERE Filed March 1o, 196

2 sheetsb? INVENTQR Jan/n@ Wf/Qhf BY her O//OmeyS www W Jain. 10, 1967 J. WRIGHT 3,297,035

OUTER GARMENT AND BRASSIERE Filed March lO, 1965 2 SheetsfSheet 2 IN1/EN TOR. Jon/n@ M/f/'g/ff BY her affomeys Hmm United States Patent Olitice Fatenteddan. l0, 1967 3,297,035 OUTER GARMENT ANI) BRASSIERE Janine Wright, 22 Warren Road, Maplewood, NJ. 07040 Filed Mar. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 438,502 7 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 455) The invention deals especially with upper garments which leave the neck and shoulders substantially bare, and which may either be strapless or have straps.

The phrase upper garment includes garments having a portion over the breast of the wearer. For example, it includes brassiere-type garments such as separate sun halters, sun suit tops and bat-hing suit tops, and it also includes garments where the breast covering portion is attached to a skirt or other lower garment.

An object of the invention is to provide means in such a garment to hold a separate brassiere in place beneath or within the outer garment so that the brassiere will not slip and show above or below the garment.

Another object is to provide such a garment in which different sorts of strapless brassieres available on the market can lbe used with the outer garment.

Another object is to provide a comfortable and easily donned combination of garments of the type described.

@ther objects will appear from the specification and claims.

In the drawings, which form part of the application,

FIGURE l is a rear or inside view of the combination of a bathing suit or sun suit top and brassiere, embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front or outside view of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section, substantially on the line 3-3 in FIGURES l or 2 looking in the direction of the arrow.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view'of a combination embodying the invention, of an evening dress with brassiere on a figure.

FIGURE 5 is an inside view (similar to FIG. l) of the garment shown in FIG. 4, with part of the skirt of the outer garment broken away.

FIGURE 6 is a cross section on lines 6--6 of the garment of FIGURE 4, on an enlarged scale.

As shown in FIGURES 1-3 the invention is embodied in a combination of a brassiere-type upper outer garment 10 which in these figures is a sun-halter or bathing suit top (see especially FIG. 2) with a separate removable `strapless brassiere 11.

-The outer garment has two layers, an outer layer 12 and an inner layer on lining 13.

The outer layer includes the usual features of such a garment, namely, front portion 14 composed of breast cups 15 attached to the usual body encircling portion 16 which consists of straps forming the sides and back of the garment and which can be fastened together in the rear by usual fastening means such as hooks and eyes 17 and 18.

The outer -garment can be either strapless or it can have the usual shoulder straps 19 which in known garments either tie around the neck or are fastened in known manner to the back portion or body encircling straps 16.

The inner layer or lining may be made either of the same fabric as the outer layer, or of a different material. The inner layer or llinin-g portion includes a pair of breast cups 20, a separate strip 21 at the lower edge of the garment and a plurality of vertical straps 22 spaced across the inside of the body encircling portion 16 of the outer layer. The breast cups 2t) of the lining are secured together at their center 23 and are permanently attached along the top edge to the breast cups 15 of the outer `layer by suitable means such as stitching 24, but breast cups 20 are free at their side edges 25 and bottom 26, which are not attached to the outer layer. 'Ille strip 21 of the lining, along the lower edge of the front of the garment, is attached at its lower edge 27 to the outer layer below the breast cups. The upper edge 28 of the strip is free and has separable fastening means 29 cooperating with fastening ineans 30 near the bottom of the breast cup 20 of the lining. The vertical straps 22 of the lining are spaced across the inside of the body encircling portion 16 of the outer layer, and are secured at their top and bottom between the top and bottom of strap 16 by suitable means such as stitching 31, 32.

The breast cups Ztl of the lining are preferably shaped to the actual contour of the body of the wearer, whereas the breast cups 15 of the outer layer may have a different contour which is considered more desirable. For example, the lining may have a much smaller curvature in its breast cups as is shown in FIG. 3. The -diiference between the curvature of the breast cup Ztl of the lining and the greater curvature of the breast cup 15' of the outer layer of the garment leaves a space 33 lbetween them to receive falsies of any kind for giving a desired breast contour.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 4 to 6 shows an outer garment which is an evening dress 34 having a bodice 35 and skirt 36 with a belt 37 between them (see especially FIG. 4).

As shown in the drawings (see especially FIG. 6), the bodice of the 'dress has an outer layer 42 and a lining or inner layer 43. The front of the bodice consists of a pair of breast cups 45 which may be unitary or joined together by known means. The body encircling means 46 of the dress consists of sides 47 and back 48. The garment is fastened together along one side by known means such as zipper 49.

The lining of the bodice 4is like the lining in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive. It includes a pair of 'breast cups 20' joined together along the center 21, and fastened along the top of the outer layer 4t2 of the garment, with the sides 2.5 and bottom 26 of the breast cups of the lining free from the outer layer.

Strip 21 of the lining is secured along its lower edge 27 to the outer garment by stitches Sil. The upper edge of the strip is free and has fastening means such as snaps 29 which cooperate with snaps 3l)y on the breast cups 20 and can be fastened to hold a removable strapless bra 11 in place and can be unfastened in order to remove or replace the bra.

A plurality of spaced vertical strips 22 are secured at or slightly below the top edge of the outer layer of the garment. The bottom edge of the strap is secured preferably vertically below the top.

In the gannent shown in FIGURES 4 to 6 the contour of the breast cups 20 of the lining and that of the breast cup 45 of the garment are substantially the same, as shown in FIG. 6.

The undergarment or socalled strapless bra 11 can be of known conventional type with a pair of breast cups 55 and body encircling straps 56, fastened by known fastening means 57. The breast cups may be single layer as shown in FIGURE 6, or multilayer as indicated -at S8 in FIG. 3. The breast cups may or may not include padding 59 indicated in FIGURE 3. If desired padding may be used in the breast cup 55 on one side of the body and omitted from the other, or different amounts of Vpadding may `be used in the breast cup 55 on one side of the body and omitted from the other, or different amounts of padding may be used in the cups of a pair.

In preparing to use the garment in either FIGS. l t0 3 or FIGS. 4 to 6, the fastening means at the lower edge of the breast cups of the lining are detached from those on the strip 21, the breast cups 5S of the under garment lor strapless bra are inserted in the breast cups of the garment between the inner and outer layers and the fastening means 29, 30 are again secured together.

The body encircling straps 56 of the bra are inserted between the spaced vertical straps 22 of the lining and the body encircling portion of the outer layer. The combined garment is then placed upon the person of the wearer and the body encircling straps of the bra are fastened to each other by means of the usual fastening means 57.

The fastening means 17, 18 (FIG. l) or 49 (FIG. 5) of the outer garment are then secured to each other at the back or side as the case may be.

-Due to the fact that the breast cups of the bra are totally between the breast cups of the lining and of the outer layer `of the outer garment, which are permanently secured together along the top and are detachably secured together along the bottom, the bra cannot slip up or slip down or show above or below the garment.

At the sides and the rear of the garment the spaced vertical straps retain the body encircling straps of the brassiere and they also are held rmly in place.

The embodiments shown and described in the specification are by way of example only, and I do not wish to be limited to those embodiments.

I claim:

1. In an upper garment for women, including an outer garment and a removable brassiere, an outer garment containing an outer layer having a pair of breast cups and a body encircling portion in combination with a lining portion including (a) a pair of breast cups attached along the top edge to the breast cups of the outer layer but free of the outer layer along the side edges and the bottom of the breast cups (b) a strip attached along its lower edge to the outer layer below the breast cups but free along its upper edge and separable cooperating fastening means on said strip and on the bottom of the breast cup of the lining, and

(c) a plurality of straps spaced across the inside of the body encircling portion of the outer layer,

whereby the brassiere may be inserted between the outer layer and the lining of the breast cups `of the outer garment and between the spaced straps of the lining and the body encircling straps of the outer layer of the outer; garment and thus be held concealed and prevented from slipping up or down beyond the outer garment when the combined outer garment and #brassiere are being worn.

2. An upper outer garment adapted to contain a separate brassiere having breast cups and a body encircling strap, the outer garment including an outer layer having a pair of breast cups and a body encircling portion in combination with a lining portion including (a) a pair of breast cups attached along the top edge to the breast cups of the outer layer but free at the side edges and the bottom of the breast cups from the outer layer and (b) a strip attached at its lower edge to the outer layer below the breast cups, but free along its upper edge and having separable fastening means on the strip cooperating with fastening means near the bottom of the breast cup of the lining, and

(c) straps spaced along the inside of the body encircling portion of the outer layer, whereby a space between the breast cups of the outer layer and the breast cups of the lining of the outer garment is adapted to receive the breast cups of the brassiere and space between the spaced straps of the lining and the body encircling portion of the outer garment is adapted to receive the body encircling straps of the brassiere, and the brassiere is held concealed and is prevented from slipping up or down beyond the outer garment during use.

3. A brassiere-type outer garment adapted to contain a separate brassiere having breast cups and a body encircling strap, the outer garment including an outer layer having a pair of breast cups and a body encircling portion in combination with a lining portion including (a) a pair of breast cups attached along the top edge to the outer layer abut free at the side edges `and the bottom of the breast cups from the outer layer and (b) a strip attached at its lower edge to the lower edge of the outer layer, but free along its upper edge and having separable fastening means on the strip cooperating with fastening means near the bottom of the breast cup yof the lining, and

(c) vertical straps spaced along the inside of the body encircling portion of the outer l-ayer between the top and bottom edges thereof, whereby a space between the breast cups of the outer layer and the 'breast cups of the lining of the outer garment is adapted to -receive the breast cups of the separate brassiere and space between the spaced vertical straps of the lining and the body encircling portion of the outer garment is adapted to receive the body encircling straps of the brassiere and the brassiere is held concealed and prevented from slipping up or down beyond the outer garment during use.

4. A brassiere-type outer garment in combination with a separate brassiere having breast cups and a body encircling strap, the outer garment including an outer layer having a pair of breast cups and a body encircling portion in `combination with a lining including (a) a pair of breast cups attached along the top edge to the breast cups of the outer layer but free from the side edges and the bottom of the breast cups of the outer layer and (b) a strip along the lower edge `of the garment, the

lower edge of the strip being attached to the outer layer below the breast cups, but the upper edge of the strip being free and having separable fastening means cooperating with fastening means near the bottom of the breast cup of the lining, and

(c) straps spaced across the inside of the body encircling portion of the outer layer,

the breast cups of the brassiere being between the breast cups of the outer layer and the breast cups of the lining of the outer garment, and the body encircling straps of the brassiere being between the spaced straps of the lining and the body encircling portion of the outer garment, whereby the brassiere is held concealed and is prevented from slipping up or down beyond the outer garment during use.

5. A garment as claimed in claim 1 in which a breast cup 'of the lining has a smaller curvature than the corresponding breast cup of the outer layer of the garment.

6. A- garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer garment is a brassiere-type garment.

7. A garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer garment is a dress.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,359,804 10/ 1944 Struthers 12S-456 2,863,460 12/1958 Monroe 128-490 3,175,559 3/1965 Kane 12S-494 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN UPPER GARMENT FOR WOMEN, INCLUDING AN OUTER GARMENT AND A REMOVABLE BRASSIERE, AN OUTER GARMENT CONTAINING AN OUTER LAYER HAVING A PAIR OF BREAST CUPS AND A BODY ENCIRCLING PORTION IN COMBINATION WITH A LINING PORTION INCLUDING (A) A PAIR OF BREAST CUPS ATTACHED ALONG THE TOP EDGE TO THE BREAST CUPS OF THE OUTER LAYER BUT FREE OF THE OUTER LAYER ALONG THE SIDE EDGES AND THE BOTTOM OF THE BREAST CUPS (B) A STRIP ATTACHED ALONG ITS LOWER EDGE TO THE OUTER LAYER BELOW THE BREAST CUPS BUT FREE ALONG ITS UPPER EDGE AND SEPARABLE COOPERATING FASTENING MEANS ON SAID STRIP AND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BREAST CUP OF THE LINING, AND (C) A PLURALITY OF STRAPS SPACED ACROSS THE INSIDE OF THE BODY ENCIRCLING PORTION OF THE OUTER LAYER, WHEREBY THE BRASSIERE MAY BE INSERTED BETWEEN THE OUTER LAYER AND THE LINING OF THE BREAST CUPS OF THE OUTER GARMENT AND BETWEEN THE SPACED STRAPS OF THE LINING AND THE BODY ENCIRCLING STRAPS OF THE OUTER LAYER OF THE OUTER GARMENT AND THUS BE HELD CONCEALED AND PREVENTED FROM SLIPPING UP OR DOWN BEYOND THE OUTER GARMENT WHEN THE COMBINED OUTER GARMENT AND BRASSIERE ARE BEING WORN. 